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GM Topalov Vs GM Kramnik (WCC) Game 2

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| 3 | Amazing Games

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe2 Bg6 10. e4 O-O 11. Bd3 Bh5 12. e5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Qe3 Bg6 15. Ng5 Re8 16. f4 Bxd3 17. Qxd3 f5 18. Be3 Nf8 19. Kh1 Rc8 20. g4 Qd7 21. Rg1 Be7 22. Nf3 Rc4 23. Rg2 fxg4 24. Rxg4 Rxa4 25. Rag1 g6 26. h4 Rb4 27. h5 Qb5 28. Qc2 Rxb2 29. hxg6 h5 Kramnik said that he wanted to play 29...Nxg6, but saw 30.Qxg6+!! hxg6 31.Rxg6+ Kh7 (31...Kf7 32.Rg7+ Kg8 33.Rg8+ Kg7 34.R1g7#) 32.R6g3! forcing mate.[11] 30. g7! hxg4 31. gxf8Q+ Bxf8? 31...Kxf8! 32. Qg6+? 32.Rxg4+! wins immediately, e.g. 32...Bg7 33.Qc7! Qf1+ 34.Ng1, or 32...Kh8 33.Qg6.[12] Bg7 33. f5 Re7 34. f6 Qe2 35. Qxg4 Rf7 36. Rc1 (36.Qh5! still wins[13]) 36...Rc2 37. Rxc2 Qd1+ 38. Kg2 Qxc2+ 39. Kg3 Qe4 40. Bf4 Qf5 41. Qxf5 exf5 42. Bg5 a5 43. Kf4 a4 44. Kxf5 a3 45. Bc1 Bf8 46. e6 Rc7 47. Bxa3 Bxa3 48. Ke5 Rc1 49. Ng5 Rf1 50. e7 Re1+ 51. Kxd5 Bxe7 52. fxe7 Rxe7 53. Kd6 Re1? (GM John Nunn demonstrated that 53...Re3! was the only winning move.[14]) 54. d5 Kf8 55. Ne6+? GM Mihail Marin, annotating the game on the ChessBase site after the game, noted that endgame tablebases show that 55.Kd7! still draws.[15] Ke8 56. Nc7+ Kd8 57. Ne6+ Kc8 58. Ke7 Rh1 59. Ng5 b5 60. d6 Rd1 61. Ne6 b4 62. Nc5 Re1+ 63. Kf6 Re3 0-1

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GM Vaselin Topalov

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